01930 - Colored troops stationed; near Dutch Gap Canal, Virginia, Nov. 1864 [LC-DIG-cwpb-01930]
The James River in Virginia was dominated by a series of Confederate forts. To allow Union navigation, a proposal was made to build a canal to bypass a bend in the river.
Begun in 1864, the effort failed. After the war the canal was completed and is now the main route along the James.
Pictured here was a picket station manned by African-Americans (known as Colored troops at the time). While the role of these troops were limited during the war, they were much heralded for their gallantry in action.
![01930 - Colored troops stationed; near Dutch Gap Canal, Virginia, Nov. 1864 [LC-DIG-cwpb-01930]](/img/s/v-10/p1466025526-3.jpg)